Press Release
November 23, 2009

BAILIWICK
Panay leaders show force for Villar's NP

ILOILO CITY--Hundreds of grassroots leaders of Panay staged a preview of expected things to come in Sen. Manny Villar's bailiwick as they manifested their support to the Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer, taking oath as Nacionalistas.

Leading the NP oathtakers was three-term Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, national chairman of the League of Cities of the Philippines who recently bolted the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD to run for congressman of the city's lone district.

Likewise swearing into the Villar-led party were Bingawan Mayor Matt Palabrica and Maasin Mayor Mariano Malones Jr.; Lauan Mayor Aser Baladjay, Bugasong Mayor Bernard Pesayco, and Caluya Mayor Reynante Lim of Antique; Sapian Mayor Arturo Orosco of Capiz; and Board Members Patricio Gange and Roy Habaña of Guimaras; and other incumbent vice-mayors, councilors, and aspirants of Panay's provinces.

Villar told the oathtakers, "Sino ang magmamahal sa Iloilo ng kagaya natin? Mahirap lang po kami, ang aking lolo at ama ay mahirap lamang. Dahil sa kahirapan, napilitan ang aking amang pumunta sa Tondo kung saan niya nakilala ang aking ina. Laging sinasabi noon ng aking ama, kailangang babalik ka kung saan ka nanggaling."

Hailing from Iloilo, Villar's grandfather was from Molo who married his grandmother from Cabatuan, Iloilo. Three of Villar's four sisters also married Ilonggos from Dumangas.

"Marami pa po tayong dapat gawin sa buong Panay upang maitaas ang kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan. Lahat naman po ng ating mga ipinangako dito ay nagawa natin. Pag tayo ang naging pangulo, mas marami pa tayong magagawa. At kaya nating pangatawanan ang ating mga sinasabi," Villar stressed, eliciting applause from the crowd.

The NP leader also underscored that the next president of the country must know what to do from his first day in office in order to genuinely address the problem of poverty.

Panay Island, located in Western Visayas, is divided into four provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo. Iloilo City is the capital of, but independent from, the province of Iloilo. It has 180 barangays grouped into six districts: Arevalo, City proper, Jaro, La Paz, Mandurriao, and Molo.

The oathtaking of the Visayan leaders followed NP's beefing up of its strength in Luzon by forging an alliance with Rep. Bongbong Marcos' oppositionist Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, and welcoming 200 new NP members in Batangas led by former Gov. Armando Sanchez and his wife Sto. Tomas Mayor Edna Sanchez.

Marcos, NP stalwarts Iloilo Vice-Gov. Rolex Suplico, former Rep. Gilbert Remulla, and Col. Ariel Querubin's stepson and spokesman Jose Martin Loon also attended the event in Iloilo City.

NP's solidification of its stronghold in Luzon and Visayas is expected to be strategically followed by the party's big oathtaking event in Mindanao.

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